PANAJI
The three-day monsoon session of the Goa Legislative Assembly ended with a growing question about declining standards of legislative conduct, as repeated disruptions, personal exchanges and overt political campaigning threatened to overshadow the House's core business.
The session has left behind more than just questions about the Bills and issues debated. It has also raised a fundamental question: is Goa's Assembly becoming a platform for serious legislative scrutiny, or increasingly a stage for political theatre?
From legislators rushing into the Well of the House to heated exchanges and personal jibes, the session witnessed several instances where political confrontation appeared to take precedence over parliamentary decorum. The Opposition repeatedly entered the Well to register protests, while members across the political spectrum were seen directly addressing one another instead of routing their interventions through the Chair.
While storming the Well is a recognised form of legislative protest, the frequency and manner in which it was used during the session raised questions over whether such actions were serving a genuine legislative purpose or increasingly becoming a means of creating political and media visibility.
Personal exchanges
The session also saw the line between legislative debate and personal political attacks becoming increasingly blurred. Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai made an indirect reference to Minister Mauvin Godinho's “farmhouse”, while Godinho hit back by referring to Sardesai's award received in London -- ‘The People's Award 2026 as International Politician of the Year at the House of Commons, UK Parliament’.
Apart from this, the session witnessed several informal and off-the-cuff remarks being passed across the floor, including on contentious issues such as E20 fuel and power tariffs, further reflecting the increasingly casual tone of proceedings.
Former Speaker and Minister Ramesh Tawadkar stressed the need for restraint and responsibility among legislators. “It is very important that members maintain decorum of the House and ensure smooth functioning. We need to understand that people are watching us and the Assembly is a platform to raise people’s issues and not to make drama or action,” Tawadkar said.
The conduct of proceedings also raised questions over adherence to established legislative conventions. Some members addressed one another directly and used the plural form while referring to ministers and even the Chief Minister, rather than routing their remarks through the Chair, as required by legislative convention. Not just first-time MLAs but even senior ministers like Sudin Dhavalikar and MLAs like Nilesh Cabral violated the decorum.
Election politics
The political temperature was further raised by repeated references to the 2027 Assembly elections. AAP MLA Venzy Viegas and Alemao used several interventions to appeal to voters to reject the BJP, with assurances that a proposed “united government” would take up pending issues after the elections.
Such political messaging, critics argue, risks turning the Assembly floor into an extension of the election campaign rather than a forum for scrutinising government policy and raising public concerns. The Goa Assembly's experience mirrors a wider trend across India's legislatures, where disruption, well-storming, walkouts and allegations of bias against presiding officers have increasingly become routine features of legislative politics.
